How to Keep Your Eyes Healthy

Posted by: Caster Eye Center in eye health

Paying attention to eye care is of lifelong importance for sighted people. Sighted people rely on vision extensively, from work to daily tasks of living. Knowing how to keep your eyes healthy can help you preserve your vision well into your later years.

Keeping your eyes healthy will involve both practices to keep and practices or avoid. However, remember that genetics and individual health play a role.

Active Steps to Keep Your Eyes Healthy

Wear Sunglasses

Sunlight provides plenty of benefits for your eyes, your skin, and your health. At the same time, excess sun exposure can come with several detriments.

We recommend individuals wear sunglasses that block both UVA and UVB rays. Ideally, a solid pair of sunglasses will block 99% of these rays.

Eat a Balanced Diet

Bodily health always starts with a balanced diet. The same holds true for your eyes. An eye-healthy diet will include plenty of leafy green vegetables and other items high in vitamins C and E. Fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids (such as salmon) can also give your eye health a boost. Vitamin A also plays a role in protecting your cornea’s health. The cornea is the outer part of the eye that serves as a protective layer.

A balanced diet also lowers your risk of health conditions such as obesity and diabetes. Both of these can contribute to eye-related issues. Specifically, cutting out sugary foods can lower your risk for both of these conditions.

Manage Health Conditions

Diabetes and obesity are two of the top health conditions that can impact eye health. We recommend working with a physician to manage either condition.

Attend Regular Eye Exams

Eye exams do more than check if you have 20/20 vision. In fact, if you know you have perfect vision, you can still benefit from routine eye exams.

Your optometrist can check for the early signs of eye health issues that might not immediately manifest as vision problems. Even a routine eye exam can check for:

Retina health issues (detachment, damage)
Glaucoma
Cataracts

Wash Your Hands

Bacteria are more than happy to hitch a ride from your fingers to your eyes. Considering people touch their faces about 23 times an hour, that is ample opportunity for bacteria to reach the eyes.

Washing your hands with warm water and soap can help mitigate that risk. In fact, it helps mitigate many other risks. Wash your hands before eating. Wash them after eating. Wash them before and after visits to the restroom. Trust us, your body will thank you.

Wear Eye Protection

Sports and work accidents contribute to more eye injuries than you might expect. Always wear safety goggles or glasses when engaging in any activity that puts your eyes at risk. These can include:

Working with chemicals, caustics, and abrasives
Using a welder or when working with any bright lights
Playing sports or recreational activities with a high likelihood of physical contact
Working with any power tools or machinery

Things to Avoid to Keep Your Eyes Healthy

Excess Screen Time

Work and leisure activities increasingly center around staring at screens for hours on end. Simply put, our eyes are not designed for such strain. Take frequent breaks while working or studying, and give your eyes some time to focus on things in the distance.

Rubbing Your Eyes

Aside from introducing bacteria to the eye, rubbing your eyes comes with other issues. One of the most major is that it can damage the fragile muscles in the eyelids. Some individuals may even develop eyelid ptosis from excessive rubbing.

Eye rubbing can also damage the cornea and even rupture blood vessels. Fully avoiding rubbing your eyes may prove a challenge. So, at least try to be careful when you do so (and wash your hands first!).

Smoking

Smoking tobacco comes with a list of health risks that never seems to end. We all know about lung cancer, but far fewer people are aware that smoking can also harm your eyes. Research has linked cigarette use to an increased risk of macular degeneration and cataracts. When you quit smoking, almost every part of your body will thank you, from your eyes to your toes.

Wearing Makeup Overnight

After a long day, you may want to crash into your bed without removing your makeup. Unfortunately, sleeping in makeup creates an excellent opportunity for it to get in your eyes. While not a major health risk, it can still irritate your eyes.

Enhance Your Eyesight Today

At Caster Eye Center, you can get eye care from a nationally recognized eye surgeon. Book your consultation to see how we can improve your eyesight and eye health.